Uniqlo debuts virtual dressing room

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SAN FRANCISCO — Global clothing retailer Uniqlo opened in early October its first flagship store on the West Coast — an architectural gem in San Francisco’s Union Square area that incorporates sleek design and the latest modern technology.

The 29,000-square-foot store features the global unveiling of Uniqlo’s “Magic Mirror” technology. Developed by printing company Dai Nippon Printing, this “virtual dressing room” allows customers to use the Kinect color-changing engine and half-mirror touch panel technology to instantly switch between different color palettes of clothing. The large, bright color monitor brings to life the product quality and details to make consumers feel like they are actually wearing the real product.

High-beamed ceilings and a large basement-to-roof skylight enable natural sunlight to illuminate the central glass case, housing some of the more than 91 rotating mannequins situated around the store sporting the latest Uniqlo fashions. An LED-illuminated rainbow staircase reflects the colorful diversity of the retailer’s product offerings, while 77 LCD screens along the perimeter of the store feature a rotational mix of the retailer’s marketing campaigns and product promotions.